On All Hallows' Eve, hold on to your.... gates?

"Tis Fairies Night," The Butte Daily Post, October 31, 1894

Halloween is a big holiday in our household. We love a good theme, any excuse to dress up, and all things spooky. It should come as no surprise that our front porch looks like a haunted house come October 31st.

I am also a fan of tradition and look forward to munching pumpkin muffins while digging through trunks of Halloween decorations and drinking hot apple cider.

All this to say I got to thinking, how did everyday folks in the late 1880s in Montana celebrate Halloween?

They stole gates. Yep, you read that right. During the early 1880s Halloween in America had not fully taken off as concept yet. Newspapers in Montana ran articles that side eye the holiday, calling it "pagan" and "Irish." Which was true. Halloween was yet another great thing brought to us by immigrants (the list is nearly endless). In the late 19th century Irish and Scottish immigrants brought their Halloween traditions with them to America. General mischief and shenanigans were part of those traditions. However, I am loathe to saddle these early-bringers of Halloween with the introduction of fence thieving... I feel like that one is a tradition of American origin. From my research it may have been a mainly Western one.

Regardless it was entrenched as a part of Halloween in Montana by the late 1880s. The stealing of gates, fences, buggies, and even heavy machinery, was reported in cities all over the state. These items were not truly stolen. They were often placed on people's porches or spirited off down the street to be placed in others' yards. These acts fell more into the category of vandalism than theft. The perpetrators had no intention of depriving the rightful owners of their property. Vandalism was still a crime, and these activities inhabited a legal grey area.

Under normal circumstances acts such as untethering horses, hiding carriages in other parts of town, and dismantling fences would have been considered crimes. Butte's City Ordinance 501forbade leaving horses unhitched and carried a $5.00 penalty. Although younger girls may have occasionally participated in this tomfoolery, it was mainly the young lads who got to test the reigning authorities. So why were these vandals not hunted down, dragged into court and prosecuted?

And what about the ladies?

The Butte Daily Post, October 29, 1900

In contrast female citizens were expected to celebrate in a less criminal manner. Young women often held socials in private homes or churches. Divination rituals featured prominently at these parties. Whereas young men were allowed to blow off steam and toe the line of morality, young women were expected to search out their future husbands. Why do we always get the short end of the stick?!?

"Hallowe'en Pleasures. Bobbing, bobbing everywhere. Apples in a Tub." Chromolithograph postcard, 1911. Missouri History Museum Photographs and Prints collection. Postcards. n39419.

Apple bobbing or "ducking" was popular for its relationship predications. Apples would be named as potential mates. If the girl managed to bite the apple on the first try matrimonial success was all but guaranteed. If the bite was on the second go round then the relationship would start off hot-and-heavy but quickly burn out. And if you couldn't sink your teeth in until the third try? Just give up the ghost already, he's just not that into you.

Apple Ducking seems rather harmless, unlike its close cousin "Snap Apple." Snap Apple involved a piece of wood with a nail at each end. An apple would be hammered onto each nail, and the stick would be held up by a piece of twine. It was much like the bouquet toss at a wedding. Whomever managed to sink her teeth into an apple first would be next in line to become betrothed.

The addition of a lit candle held in place by its own melted wax upped the fear factor on this one. Who needs our contrived modern scares when you could instead chance being permanently disfigured by fire in the pursuit of a crystal-ball-type answer to your romantic inquiries?* Personally I would have just gone out and found the guy who managed to steal the most gates without getting caught.

Other divinatory party games involved roasted chestnuts or mirrors. Girls would look into mirrors while brushing their hair and instead of being greeted by the ghoulish "Bloody Mary" they were supposed to be able to see the face of their future mate.

"The Song of The Hallowe'en Maid," The Butte Daily Post, October 27, 1900.

Halloween in Montana in the late 19th century was a mishmash of a sweet-sixteen party and "criminal lite" behavior. Like much of the era, festive celebrations ran on gender lines. Boys were allowed a space to blow off steam. A space that for grown men would have involved the police. Girls were expected to pursue their societally narrated lifelong ambition of meeting the right boy (not the ones stealing fences) and marry him right up. It's not actually what all of them wanted, but their choices were very likely limited.

*For more about the origins of these games see https://irishmyths.com/2022/10/12/bobbing-for-apples/